Apr 22, 1839 - Joseph Smith returns to his family (now in Illinois) after escaping from jail in Missouri and reportedly indicates his intention for his son Joseph III to be his successor as church president.

Apr 22, 1846 - Brigham Young writes in his journal: "My horse was bitten on the nose by a rattlesnake. I cut the snake into pieces and applied them to the wound. They drew out the poison, leaving the horse uninjured."

Apr 22, 1847 - On the pioneer trek west two guards fall asleep. Those who find them take their guns as a warning to them and William Clayton notes, " There was considerable joking this morning on account of two of the picket guard having their guns . . . but it is difficult for men to keep awake night after night, after traveling 20 miles in the day taking care of teams, cooking &c" He also notes that "The cannon was prepared for action, and stood all night just outside the wagons."

Apr 22, 1861 - Brigham Young's office journal records: "Two of Br[other] Orson Pratt's wives called upon the President, and told him they needed clothing & furniture for they were very destitute."

Apr 22, 1866 - Brigham Young orders a committee formed to "correct the errors in the History of Joseph Smith as published by Mother Smith & then let it be published to the world." Young had earlier ordered all copies of Lucy Mack Smith's book burned. The new edition of the book contains a preface which explains that Lucy Mack Smith's book had been altered so that her testimony might be "preserved."

Apr 22, 1875 - Future apostle John Henry Smith writes in his missionary journal, " When I got up this morning I found that Sister Ellen Drybury had went to work and washed out my stockings and got them dry for me. It is the first time one of the sisters had been so thoughtfull, and I shall ever remember her thoughtfullness as my stockings were very nasty."

Apr 22, 1884 - William W. Cluff resigns as stake president rather than marry polygamously. He retains membership in Council of Fifty.

Apr 22, 1889 - Ida Wright testifies her husband John rose from dead after priesthood administration by elders. He spoke to family four hours and then lay back and died.

Apr 22, 1893 - Apostle Francis M. Lyman writes about meetings at the Salt Lake Temple: "Elder Moses Thatcher was so terribly sick he could not take part with us much. He could not offer the prayer which on an average took 35 minutes to offer. Pres[ident] Woodruff offered the prayer only once, the first time and he read it unhesitatingly without glasses. The rest of the Apostles including Pres[ident] Woodruff's counselors each offered the prayer twice."

Apr 22, 1953 - Joseph Fielding Smith, president of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, gives a speech at BYU titled "The Origin of Man" in which he not only declares organic evolution false but also attacks the scientific mindset. Two days later, Assistant Professor of Zoology Henry J. Nicholes writes to BYU administrators: "[while] the theory of organic evolution might have been a significant motivation for research in times now past, it does not need to be taught any more." He lists bacteriology, human anatomy, structural geology, general animal anatomy, plant anatomy and physiology, general agriculture, and taxonomy as "[A]mong the many avenues of research [that] do not need an understanding of the theory of organic evolution in the least." He askes, "How can this university ever become the university of the Kingdom of God as long as some of the faculty persist in their ignoring the words of our prophets and frustrate their students by unnecessary and damaging teachings? The very [existence] of [an] uncooperative attitude is apostacy-producing." The administration does not act on his recommendation to remove the topic from class discussions or textbooks. A year later Joseph Fielding Smith publushes MAN: HIS ORIGIN AND DESTINY which is the first book by a prominent Mormon that is openly antagonistic to much of science.

Apr 22, 1964 - Opening of New York World's Fair which LDS church's first major exhibit hall at world's fair, the "Mormon Pavilion." Continues through 1965 season.

Apr 22, 1968 - Baptism of Juliet Hulme in California, despite her confession to LDS authorities that she was imprisoned at age 15 for helping to murder the mother of a girlfriend. Her baptism is significant exception to LDS policies and leadership handbooks which prohibit living baptism (or even baptism for the dead) for anyone convicted of murder. While active in LDS women's auxiliaries, she becomes internationally famous as Anne Perry, author of murder mysteries.

Apr 22, 1971 - The Twelve Apostles meet to discuss what the duties and responsibilities of the Church Patriarch, Eldred G. Smith, should be. A senior apostle objects to the fact that while some of the apostles sat on the second row in General Conference, the Patriarch sat at the end of the first row near the First Presidency. After this Patriarch Smith's seat is changed (both in General Conference and in the monthly meeting of the General Authorities) from between the Presidency and the Twelve to below the Twelve. After Eldred G. Smith the office of Church Patriarch, the only hereditary office in the Church, is eliminated.